Africa Economics Weekly SSA fuel prices, inflation and the policy response Sub-Saharan Africa looks better placed to face the current energy shock than the last one in 2022. But the region is still vulnerable to the conflict in the Middle East via the impact on fuel supplies... 13th March 2026 · 7 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly How will the Middle East conflict affect Africa The jump in global energy prices on the back of the conflict in the Middle East, if sustained, will provide a windfall for Africa’s key oil producers, such as Nigeria and Angola. We suspect most of... 6th March 2026 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly South Africa Budget, Kenya’s monetary easing cycle South Africa's government opted – as we expected - to use its 2026 Budget to give away its recent revenue windfall. That it was able to do so reflects the remarkable turnaround in the public finances... 27th February 2026 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly What to expect from South Africa's 2026 Budget? South Africa’s Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will present the 2026 Budget next week against an improving fiscal backdrop, creating scope for another fiscal giveaway. However, a looser fiscal... 20th February 2026 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Ramaphosa's SONA, CBN steps up FX liquidity South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa used his State of the Nation address to outline bold plans to tackle crime and improve infrastructure, but delivering on this will be challenging given the... 13th February 2026 · 7 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly South Africa’s DA leadership battle, AGOA is extended While the South African Democratic Alliance's change in leadership in April is unlikely to affect the stability of the Government of National Unity, there are key risks ahead including municipal... 6th February 2026 · 5 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Mozambique’s gas project, South Africa auto tariffs Mozambique announced that construction on its Cabo Delgado gas mega-project will restart, but the billions of dollars in revenue that it will bring are some years away, keeping crisis risks high in... 30th January 2026 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly China-Africa loans, SARB to pause rate cuts New data this week showed Chinese lending to Africa fell again in 2024. But while lending is slowing, trade is not. And we think it's more likely that China-Africa ties deepen rather than weaken from... 23rd January 2026 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Angola’s aggressive rate cut, SA’s political instability Angola’s central bank cut interest rates by more than expected this week to prop up struggling growth, but growing imbalances make the kwanza vulnerable to falls which could bring this monetary easing... 16th January 2026 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly SSA economies and currencies to fare well in 2026 Zambia’s kwacha has made a bright start to the year, while the naira and rand have also posted early gains. And we expect most African currencies to fare well over the course of 2026. The risk of... 9th January 2026 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Lobito rail project, oil prices Angola secured additional financing from the US and other partners this week as it looks to press ahead with the Lobito rail project underlining the Trump administration’s transactional approach to... 19th December 2025 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Kenyan shilling, South Africa’s port deal Kenya’s central bank cut interest rates by another 25bp earlier this week, to 9.00%, but the extent of further monetary loosening is likely to rest on what happens next with the shilling, which is... 12th December 2025 · 7 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly SA data rush gives reason to be (somewhat) upbeat The raft of economic data released in South Africa over the past week suggests that the economy will continue to expand at a solid (albeit unspectacular) pace over the course of 2026-27. Will the AI... 5th December 2025 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly US-Africa relations, Ghana and Nigeria rates, SARB FSR US rhetoric toward Africa hardened this week, with fresh funding threats and tighter immigration measures. As Washington’s ties with the region deteriorate, China and middle players like the UAE... 28th November 2025 · 6 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly Worsening relations with the US, SARB rate cut Both South Africa and Nigeria have seen diplomatic relations with the US become more strained this week, although for now domestic dynamics should continue to support a more positive growth outlook in... 21st November 2025 · 7 mins read
Africa Economics Weekly MTBPS fallout, renminbi debt risks South Africa’s Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana couldn’t have wished for a better response from investors to this week’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) and his decision to lower the... 14th November 2025 · 6 mins read